Wayne State University Considering Tougher Admission Standards

Wayne State University in Detroit enrolls about 21,000 undergraduate students. Nearly one third of them are Black. Only 10 percent of the Black students who enrolled at Wayne State in 2004, earned a bachelor’s degree at the university by 2010.

Allan Gilmour, president of Wayne State, has proposed to toughen admission standards. He told the Detroit Free Press, “This can’t be an open-access university. If we are admitting people who we shouldn’t admit, that isn’t fair to them.”

Under the president’s proposal, students who apply to the university would be placed in one of three groups. The first group would be students with strong academic credentials who would be admitted. A second group would be required to complete a tuition-free, eight-week summer bridge program. These students would take courses in algebra, English, and study skills. Those that receive a passing grade in the summer program would be admitted to the university for the fall semester. The third group of applicants would be rejected for admission but would receive counseling about attending a community college or trade school.

The president estimates that about 5 percent of recently entering classes would not have been admitted under the new standards. Some in the campus community fear that Black and low-income students will make up a disproportionate share of the students who are denied admission under the new plan.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

California State University Sacramento Launches Black Honors College

Officially launching for the fall 2024 semester, the Black Honors College will support students from all backgrounds who study Black history, life, and culture by providing them with a specialized curriculum and mentoring opportunities.

Higher Education Gifts or Grants of Interest to African Americans

Here is this week’s news of grants or gifts to historically Black colleges and universities or for programs of particular interest to African Americans in higher education.

In Memoriam: Norman B. Anderson, 1955-2024

Dr. Anderson was the assistant vice president for research and academic affairs at Florida State University at the time of his death. He had an extensive career in clinical psychology, which led him to become the first African American chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association.

Georgia State University Launches Program to Support Black Women in Tech

While Black women account for roughly 29 percent of the Georgia State University undergradaute student body, they represent only 10 percent of the university's computer science majors and 18 percent of the computer information systems majors.

Featured Jobs